HISTORY

1903

1903

When Fr. Terrien was given the charge of the Chinese Catholic community in Kuala Lumpur, he was also to build the church for them. He bought a piece of land, about two acres in size, on Brickfields Road near the railway station. He has Fr. LLambert MEP as the architect.
Bishop Rene Fee, Bishop of Malacca laid the foundation stone for the new church.

1904

The church, with no steeple and no wings, was completed after eighteen months. The architecture was semi-gothic with flying buttress arches but the roof was flat. The parsonage was an attap building behind the church. The belfry where the bell was placed was on the ground at the left of the church.
She was blessed by the then new bishop Monsignor Emile Barillon MEP. Her title: Church of Our Lady of the Rosary.

1904

The church’s five pieces of beautiful stained glass windows depicting the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary were designed by Fr. L. Lambert MEP, who helped build the church.

L>R: The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the presentation in the temple, the finding of the child Jesus in the temple.

1942

The stained glass windows were saved during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya by Fr. Girard. Seen behind the main altar today, they are among the most precious heritage of the parish.

1948-1951

1948 - 1951

The congregation was growing. The church was getting crammed. Fr. Moses Koh added two wings in the transept of the church, replaced the flat roof with proper roofing and installed a tall steeple for the old bell.
Bishop Michael Olcomendy, Bishop of Malacca blessed the new wings and steeple.

1953

1953

The church with the steeple near the railway station.
(L) Adorned with (Queen Elizabeth II) coronation decorations. (R) The altar.

1962 - 1963

Fr. Edouard Giraud MEP was a builder and eager fund-raiser. He wrote appeal letters, organised lotteries and funfairs to collect funds for the church. He built the parish hall.
He built the presbytery.

1984

1984

The intricately-carved Chinese table altar was too high for the new parish priest, Fr. John Hsiong. He wanted to shorten the legs but the table was quickly retrieved by the donor. It was replaced by a new altar, built and financed by another Chinese parishioner.

With Father John Hsiong’s guidance, HRC began making the required physical renovation in compliance with the Peninsular Malaysia Catholic Church’s Aggiornamento in 1976. The raised platform used by the commentator and the altar rails were removed, the choir and organ brought downstairs, and renovations done to the sanctuary were in accordance to the spirit of Vatican Council II.

Mid - 1980s

There was expansion of Jalan Brickfields and diversion of the road system. A slice of land area in front of the church was acquired by the government. Fr. John Hsiong closed the kindergarten in the parish grounds. Then, to increase usage of the church land, a building project was launched to develop a four-storey hostel and a three-storey community hall to be used for Sunday school and meetings. Fund raising campaigns were held and after much effort by all groups and organizations, Terrien House hostel was finally erected. The purpose of Terrien House was to generate some income for the ongoing maintenance of both the new buildings. The proximity of YMCA was deemed a business threat as Terrien House was not near any eatery, bus-stop or convenience that could attract tertiary level students. However, there was high occupancy and popular demand for twin-sharing rooms. This “boom” lasted for several years.

1990

1990

2003

In the early 2000s, in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the parish in 2003, Fr. John Gnanapiragasam initiated a massive project to repair and to replace much of the physical infrastructure of the Church building. This was necessary as an inspection revealed that much of the wooden beams on the Church roof, the belfry upstairs and much of the wooden window louvres were infested with termites. The entire repair work took almost a year. Parts of the church were closed. The result was a brighter and more beautiful interior. Twenty-two new pieces of stained glass replaced the wooden window louvres to form the four Mysteries of the Rosary. An additional six pieces were installed in the wings. The roof and roof beams were completely changed to ensure the church building would last for another hundred years or more.

2013

In response to changing times, requirements of parishioners and the ageing effects of the church, Fr. Joachim Tan installed two projectors to allow the congregation to follow the order of the mass better. Additional fans were installed for more comfort. He also led the renovation, repair and repainting works in the church, parish house, church hall, funeral parlour, Terrien House and other auxiliary buildings. The effort was financed by generous parishioners and a carnival organized by ministries and groups. The completed work gave the Church of The Holy Rosary a new elegance for her 110th anniversary.